Data concerning differences in cis-trans ozonide ratios, depending on (1) the presence or absence of complexing agents and (2) a fast or slow warm-up of the ozonolysis reaction mixture, are presented for five different cis-trans olefin pairs. Evidence is discussed which indicates that the carbonyl oxide intermediate is complexed at low temperatures and this either prevents equilibration of syn and anti carbonyl oxide stereoisomers or selectively favors the anti isomer through stronger complexation. The effects are greater the larger the olefinic double bond substituents. truns-1,2-DiisopropyIethylene gives cistrans ozonide ratios of greater than unity under slow warm-up conditions, which is contrary to predictions based on existing stereochemical mechanisms. The first observation of complexes of ozone with carbon a systems was reported from this laboratory in 197 1 .2.3 These complexes involved either aryl substituted or purely aromatic compound^.^ Following our first communication,* similar complexes were claimed for certain aliphatic system^,^,^ although doubt was cast upon the conclusions of Hull et aL5 by the data reported by Alcock and Mile.6In our 1974 paper,4 we made the tentative observation that ozonolyses of cis and trans olefins with complexed ozone afforded cis-trans ozonide ratios which differed from those obtained with "free" ozone. This was confirmed in our most recent communication on the ~u b j e c t ,~ where improved technique and consistent results, using a slow warm-up procedure, were reported. Differences in results with slow and fast warm-ups were first observed by Murray and Hagene8The purpose of the present paper is to describe the experimental details of the findings presented in our 1976 commun i~a t i o n ,~ as well as of some other recent work, and to discuss in greater detail the theoretical implications. Included in this paper are studies with the cis and trans isomers of 2,5-dimethyl-3-hexene (diisopropylethylene), 2,2,5,5-tetramethyl-3-hexene (di-tert-butylethylene), 3-hexene, 2-butene, and 4-methyl-2-pentene (isopropylmethylethylene). In later papers further investigations will be presented, involving additional complexing agents and olefins as well as solvents and reaction conditions. Table I shows the cis-trans ozonide ratios obtained by ozonizing cis-and trans-1,2-diisopropylethylene with and without a complexing agent a t two different temperatures and in two different solvents. It can be seen that the cis-trans ozonide ratios obtained a t -155 O C with the cis isomer differ depending on the presence or absence of a complexing agent.This also appears to be true in two instances with the trans isomer in isopentane solution. However, the results portrayed in Table I1 show that the cis-trans ozonide ratios are the same, within experimental error, whether (1) the ozonolysis is performed with previously complexed ozone, (2) a mixture of the olefin and the complexing agent is ozonized, or (3) the complexing agent is added to the -1 55 O C reaction mixture after ozonolysis of the ole...